Rucu Pichincha

View from Rucu Pichinca

Woke up surprisingly early on Sunday around 8am
considering I was out dancing till 3am (finally a decent hour to close clubs
since I tend to start getting tired at that time. 2 am is too early and leaves me frustrated).
But didn't crawl out till 10am.
I like to lay in bed quietly
Just thinking or contemplating.

Had a late breakfasts at my favorite spot the Coffee Tree
Love to sit outside and they have awesome WiFi
Then I took a $3 cab ride to El TeliferiqO

El TeliferiqO is a tram or gondola ride up                                      
Cruz Loma. It takes you up to 4100m and the
start of Rucu Pichincha. You can start all the way at the bottom and
work your way to the crater.
But I figure fuck it, I'll ride up

The 8 minute ride terrifies me.
I HATE heights. ...but I do love being
high up. On a clear day you can see 12 volcanoes.
It was just all powdered blue skies and yellow sunshine

Rucu means elderly.
No one really knows the true meaning of Pichincha
since the Spaniards effectively killed off the people that spoke that lost language.
But very loosely translated taking roots from Kichwa and a few other liberties it kinda
 sorta
means from where water flows.
Since it still occasional does get a snow cap
and I assume it probably had a more permanent one at one point, fresh water used to flow down.

Kichwa is the correct spelling in Ecuador. The natives rejected the Spanish spelling Quechua. The native tribes of Ecuador are very stubborn. It took a long
and bloody war started in about 1460 by Inca Tupac (not just a rapper) Yupanqui with
200,000 Inca warriors and ending in 1496 by Inca Huayna Cápac in a very bloody massacre at
Lago Yahuarcocha.
After Huayna Cápac declared victory he ordered the death of all men capable of taking up arm. Effectively killing 30,000 men and throwing their bodies into the lake.
It turned the water into a bloody ocean.
Yahuar is blood cocha is lake.
The Incas presence was very brief in Ecuador under a hundred years before the Spaniards came
and conquered them.

Rucu Pichincha is 4,784 m (15,696 ft) above sea level
It is considered an Ultra
It is an active stratovolcano.

It is a good hike up the volcano
With a clearly marked path.
Only the crater is considered challenging.
It is bare volcanic rock and lots of it is very loose and soft

Took me two hours at a good leisurely pace to
reach the crater base.
I kept stopping to take in the breath taking vista
The air getting much cooler and brisk the higher up you go
I started out with a tank top
had to put on my alpaca sweeter and gloves
LOVE alpaca its cheap and better than cashmere
Also very breezy.

Unfortunately very dark clouds and
a slight drizzle started coming in.
I am no expert rock climber
Heck I was just very recently reminded
that I am not even a beginner rock climber
The climb is a bit challenging under idea conditions.
It would of been an hour Plus climb for me
I tend to be overly cautious and move at a snail pace
(As my dear friend likes to points out)
No way was I doing it blind.

I may be crazy but not suicidal!

Sadly I had to turn back
Wish I had gotten pictures of it on the way up when the peak was perfectly visible
But I did not want to spare the time
figure their was plenty of it on the way down

Had yummy hot chocolate that seared my soul
before making the final trek to the TeliferiqO
At that point my legs were a bit sore
Having done Cotopaxi and dancing till 3am the night before